Crock Pot Lasagna

There are so many recipes that used to be my go-to meal recipes when we lived in San Diego. Lasagna was one of them.

When we moved into our flat here in Bahrain, I quickly learned that there were meals that I would not be able to cook in the oven, due to it being a top heating oven only. Lasagna was again one of them.

When I came across this recipe on Pinterest, I instantly knew I had to try it since lasagna was one of my husband’s favorite meals in San Diego.

Here is the link to the original recipe: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/02/slow-cooker-lasagna.html

I tried to stick to the recipe as much as possible since it is my first time attempting lasagna in the crock pot! J

Crock Pot Lasagna:

Ingredients

*1 lb. ground beef
*1 (24 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
*1 cup water
*15 oz container of ricotta cheese
*1 package of Italian Cheese Mix (about 2 cups)
*1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used a Parmesan and Romano mix)
*1 egg
*2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning (I didn’t actually measure this out just sprinkled it in.)
*Lasagna noodles, uncooked.

Directions:

1. Brown meat in large skillet, stir in spaghetti sauce and water. (You can drain the meat mixture if you want, but I never drain the meat mixture so I decided not to start with this recipe.)
2. Mix ricotta, 1 ½ cups of Italian Cheese Mix, 2 tablespoons (or however much you sprinkle in) of Parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg in a bowl.
3. Spoon 1 cup of meat sauce into the crock pot, top with lasagna noodles, broken to fit; and half of the cheese mixture.
4. Spoon 2 cups of meat sauce into the crock pot, top with more lasagna noodles, broken to fit; and the other half of the cheese mixture. Top with remaining meat sauce.
5. Cover the crock pot with the lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the liquid is absorbed.
6. Sprinkle with remaining Italian Cheese Mix and let lasagna stand, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

(Sorry, I didn’t get a picture of the lasagna when it came out of the crock pot. The original recipe page has a picture of their lasagna. You would have a hard time getting a picture too when you are that hungry and the meal smells that good! J)

What did I think of this recipe?

We originally served the lasagna after only letting it sit until the cheese had melted. It was a little too soupy for me. We both had seconds of this meal so when we went back to get our second serving, the lasagna was a bit more like a lasagna that you would bake in an oven.

This was fantastic tasting lasagna. Yes, it dirties up about the same amount of dishes as a normal lasagna would, but when you are working with an oven that only heats from the top, you are a bit limited in what you can put in the oven!

I think that adding a few more, different kinds of cheese would be great for this recipe. I am thinking that the next time that I make this, I will add provolone slices on top of the ricotta cheese mixture.

It can be difficult to spread the ricotta cheese mixture around. When it touches the sauce, it will be completely useless as far as spreading it around goes. What I am trying to say is make sure you have enough noodles in the crock pot so that the sauce is mostly covered up!

Be prepared to make a little bit of a mess. When I was putting the sauce into the crock pot, I got sauce all over the stove. Luckily, I had thought about this problem before hand so I was not upset.

This recipe will definitely be added to our frequently cooked meals.